Back in early June we went on a family trip to California. It was quite the trip- one I wouldn't necessarily suggest for those parents of a 5 month old... but we did have a good time apart from all the driving.
We decided this year we were going to rent a car to save on the wear and tear of our only family vehicle. We were in the market for a full size car that could seat three car seats/boosters on the same bench. We reserved a car almost a month in advance, and when we got to the rental car place, they didn't have the car we were promised. SO- they "upgraded" us to a Jeep Patriot. Yeah- it gets good gas mileage, but it was a VERY tight fit getting three seats on the bench. Besides that, it didn't have cruise control or any power locks or windows. Ever take a 14 hour drive with three children with no cruise control (cramps in the leg) and no power window locks ("Lacey- stop rolling down the window or I swear I will BEAT you!")? Totally not cool. But still- glad to not have to worry about putting so much mileage on our car.
Our first stop on the trip was to Joe's friend, Jason's house in Los Gatos. He is a California State Park Ranger in the Santa Cruz mountains, so his home was in a pretty secluded forest setting. It was gorgeous, and cool without ever being cold. We spent some time hiking, and eating some killer food (prepared by Jase) and just relaxing. We went into downtown Los Gatos and did some touristy shopping and dining. Then, on our last day with Jase we went to The Monterey Bay Aquarium.
I didn't take too many pictures, but did get a few good shots...
The girls really liked Uncle Jason (aka Uncle Jase or Uncle J) They were constantly fighting for his attention.
It wasn't cold, just trying to keep Matthew's head from burning. Joe got a good feel for how miserable pregnancy can be while wearing the sling.
Blows my mind that my girls were totally cool sitting on this rock with Jason. Pretty awesome view though!
Matthew being exactly what he is... a boy. Gotta love the Nerf gun!
Lacey sitting in front of some anchovies at the Aquarium. I couldn't get her to look at the camera...
Lil sitting in front of the same anchovies... And also not looking at the camera. Can't remember why she was laughing. Probably at Daddy and Uncle Jase being funny, like usual...
Lilia playing in the Touch Pools. She liked the sea stars.
Lacey looking at some pretty gnarly fish. Stay Tuned for part 2...
0 comments:
Post a Comment